Bluffdale has a
new city councilmember, and it was George Washington who decided it. Well, sort
of.

After 11
candidates were whittled down to two via a first-round vote by the four
remaining city councilors, the final vote was 2-2 between finalists Travis
Higby and Kristin Roberts. State code mandates a tie be broken by chance, so a
coin was flipped.

Roberts chose
tails—choosing first after picking the closest number between 1-10, a number determined
by Mayor Derk Timothy—but the quarter landed with George Washington’s head up, and
Travis Higby was appointed the newest member of the Bluffdale City Council.

“That was
absolutely unexpected,” a visibly surprised Higby said moments after the coin
flip. “I was voting for Kristin, but I’ll try to do my best now that they made
a decision.”

Higby will serve
at least until the current midterm ends in January 2020.

The public
process to choose a new councilmember came when two-term Councilman Alan
Jackson stepped down in April due to health issues.

During the May 9
city council meeting, the 11 candidates who applied for the position were given
about two minutes to state their case and answer questions from the mayor and
council. In what was essentially a public job interview, both finalists
described the experience as “nerve-racking.” Higby noted it was “a little
awkward” but that it needs to be public for the residents to see.

“I don’t have a
whole lot of public speaking experience,” said Roberts, who expected something
like this to happen, “so it was a little nerve-racking, but it was OK, better
than I thought.”

Roberts—who
favors 1-acre lots with animal rights; smart, balanced growth; and emphasized
having a strong sales tax base with retail locations along Redwood Road and
Bangerter Highway—was gracious in defeat and positive about the future of the
city.

“I know the city
council will do a great job for the city and our citizens,” she said. “And I
congratulate Travis. I think he will be a great addition to the city council.”

She isn’t the
only one to think that. During the first round of voting, Higby was the only
candidate to receive a vote from every council member. The man he replaced also
has full faith in him.

“He’s more than
qualified,” Jackson said of Higby. “I think he’s going to do a tremendous job
for the city. I’m excited that he’s there. There were so many good candidates
this evening that could’ve easily filled my position. It was good to see that. He’s
going to do great, I think he’s got the knowledge and background to step right
up and fill that seat.”

Higby’s
background includes working with city administrations through his work as a
civil engineer where he said he’s helped councils with large infrastructure
projects.

Travis Higby takes his oath of office to become Bluffdale’s newest city councilman. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

Initially, he
was a reluctant applicant for the position. Having held town halls for work and
served on Bluffdale’s general plan and parks, trails and open space committees,
Higby told the council he’s “always looked at what you guys did, admired it and
said no thank you” to the prospect of joining them.

After being
cajoled by City Councilman Dave Kallas’ wife, Higby decided to apply but lacked
excitement at the possibility. It wasn’t until the civil engineer started
speaking with city staff about the city’s plans with its infrastructure and
water and transportation projects that he “started to get giddy.”

Higby, a
resident of Perry Farms (southeast side of the city) for 11 years and HOA
president for the last eight, said he wants to maintain low density, keeping
horses on properties. “That’s essential to what we are,” he said.

When asked by
the council about his vision for undeveloped land on the south end of the city,
Higby said landowners have the right to do what they want—within what’s allowed
by city ordinances—and let the free market take place, with guidance from the
city.

When the council
raised taxes to increase its fire and police, he supported that. Referencing a
cultural divide between the east and west side of the city (brought up
throughout the night by candidates and councilmembers), Higby said they throw
an annual luau at Perry Farms to maintain that cohesiveness and wants to apply
that concept to the city.

Minutes after
his appointment, Higby got right to work taking his seat on the dais listening
to resident frustrations about parking and jumping into city budget discussions.